Carbonized
by Cross436
Summary: Returning to Palmont City looking to clear his name and reunite with his old friends, Joshua Carter goes home after a long absence. However, things aren't quite the way they were when he left. (Sorry if it's a bad summary. Rated T just to be on the safe side.) I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THIS STORY OTHER THAN MY OC. THE PROPERTIES USED ALL BELONG TO THEIR REPSECTIVE OWNERS.
1. Heading Home

It had been quite a while since Joshua had left Palmont City, too long to be exact. He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair as he whizzed pass a sign letting him know that Palmont City was 10 miles out. Pressing the gas pedal down a little more, he approached the city, thinking back to that eventful night when everything went wrong.

_ He and Nikki had just finished tuning up the Toyota Supra. Darius' Toyota Supra, to be exact. "Start it up." Nikki said, smiling. The ignition clicked for no more than a second when the engine rumbled to life. The engine had a smooth yet powerful noise, full of life from the work that had been done to it. Revving the engine a couple of times before turning it off, Josh stepped out of the car with a massive grin on his face. "Oh man, Darius is gonna love what we've done to the Supra!" Josh exclaimed, looking at Nikki, who was closing the hood down as he spoke. "For sure." Nikki replied, her grin also wide. Darius walked into the garage soon after the exchange between the two. He had a scowl plastered on his face. "Yo Darius, what's up man?" Josh asked, concerned for his friend. "My driver can't make it to the race." He responded bluntly. "What, why?! After all the work we put into the Supra…" Nikki groaned. "I don't know, he didn't say. He just said he wasn't gonna be able to make it." Darius responded. Josh spoke up. "If you want, I can take his place as your driver, Darius." Darius looked up at him. "Alright." Josh looked at him, barely able to contain his excitement. Nikki ran over to hug Josh. As Josh put her down from swinging her around, he looked over at Darius, who had a neutral expression. "Don't disappoint." Darius simply said as he tossed Josh the keys to the Supra. "I won't, don't worry." Josh replied confidently."_

_ Lined up at the start, there were three cars, each of a specific class. There was a Tuner, a Muscle, and an Exotic car. On the far left, you had Kenji, the leader of the Bushido, who ran the racing scene in Downtown Palmont City. In the between the other two cars, there was an old school Dodge Challenger, revving its throaty engine. Driving it, and leading the 21__st__ Street Crew, was Angie, a girl who took no one's crap and loved to race dirty. On the far right, an Aston Martin DB9 sat, the engine softly rumbling. The driver behind the foreign car, and leader of the crew who were simply known as the TFK, was Wolf. As Nikki arrived at the starting line, a fourth car appeared, much to the surprise of the audience and the current contenders. All three drivers looked to see the car, a blue Toyota Supra with grey vinyls all around the car, and in the driver's seat, was none other than Joshua Carter. Wolf and Kenji scowled, almost at the same time, while Angie just scoffed. All drivers now had their eyes focused on the red bag Nikki was holding up in front of them, which held the prize money for winning the race. As she showed the bag to all four drivers, she looked directly at Josh, and gave a smile. He smiled back, knowing he had Nikki on his side. As she raised the flag high into the air, getting ready to drop it down, all the cars were revving their engines as loud as possible, except Josh. He revved the engine, but not to the point of nearly over-revving. As she brought the flag down, all four cars took off quickly. Nikki turned around, worried. She couldn't shake the feeling something was off tonight. _

_ For as quickly as Josh had taken the lead, he lost it just as fast as he fell back to third, with Angie in second and Wolf leading the pack. "Well it could be worse," Josh thought to himself. "I could be Kenji right now. He brought his attention back to the race in time to see Angie nearly push Wolf head-on into an 18-wheeler. Wolf quickly swerved left to avoid contact with Angie, then swerved right to avoid hitting the big rig, but at the cost of losing his 1__st__ position. He fell back into last, moving everyone else up one. Punching the gas, Kenji flew ahead of Josh. Going into the turn, Kenji overtook Angie, placing him in first. A few turns and straightaways later, Josh ended up leading the pack down the homestretch. With Kenji, Angie, and Wolf all right behind him, Josh shifted into sixth gear and hit the NOS. Without kick, the car flew ahead, putting distance between him and the other racers. As they rounded the final corner, Josh set to take the win and the prize money, a set of blue lines appeared, hitting and immobilizing all the cars… except Josh's. He stopped, seeing what had just happened. Spinning the Supra around, he watched as the events unfolded. What seemed like a battalion of cops showed up from nowhere, a helicopter flew in, and the crowd panicked and began to scatter. It wasn't long before the cops began arresting the other three racers, each putting up some resistance. Josh, finally coming out his trance and remembering Nikki, he punched the gas and pulled a three sixty, rolling his window down. He stopped when the passenger door was facing Nikki. "Get in!" Josh shouted over the commotion. Nikki threw the bag in and was about to open the door, only to have a cop pull her back. Josh looked with despair as Nikki was pulled back, she looked back at him, directly into his eyes, and shouted "GO!" It pained Josh to punch the pedal, but he obeyed Nikki's order. Turning around once more and heading into an alley that lead to the freeway, he floored it. Frantically searching the back for money, he only found nothing but papers. "NO!" was Josh's only word as he slammed his hands on the wheel. He got a call from Darius as he drove toward the canyons. "Look, between the heat and the crews, you need to walk away. Take my car, go, get out of here." "No! I need to go back and get Nikki!" Josh answered. "Nikki's already under arrest, if you head back, you'll be too. Look, I'll take care of her, don't worry." Josh sighed. "Fine." Hanging up the phone, tears began to well in his eyes. He hated himself for leaving Nikki like that, and he disliked the thought of leaving town even more. He drove on, eventually exiting Palmont City, and entered Rockport City…_

Bringing himself back to reality, he looked on toward Palmont City, lit up in lights. "I wonder if Nikki and Darius are still around…" Josh wondered aloud to himself as he drove down Carbon Canyon. He drove in silence once more, looking around. "Nope, not a car in sight. Then again, it is two in the morning…" Josh was thinking to himself when he saw a pair of headlights approaching him rather quickly. He sped up as he rounded a corner, only to see the headlights again, this time closing the gap. Josh lurched forwards as he was hit from behind, having some difficulty keeping the car straight. He saw his attacker was doing the same. As he looked back, he saw the car after him and the driver inside, and nearly froze. "Hey, guess who's back."


	2. Old Friends

"Hey, guess who's back." Said the cop turned bounty-hunter, known only as Cross. He rammed into the back of Joshua's car again, this time nearly sending him off the cliff. Josh had sped up enough to avoid a severe hit, but still swerved a little. Speeding up through the turn, he took off, attempting to run. Going through the numerous twists and turns Carbon Canyon, Josh never managed to lose Cross. Seeing a construction site up ahead, "I'll take my chances." Josh said aloud as he shifted into 5th gear. Running into pylons and blockades, Josh couldn't see what he was speeding into. The debris cleared just in time to see a big rig… loaded with steel pipes. Quickly pulling the handbrake and steering left, he avoided a head on collision with the truck, but shook the pipes loose. "Maybe I can use the pipes as a distraction to escape Cross!" Josh thought. He got ready to take off back the way he came, only to see Cross' car park right in front of his, just as the pipes fell and rolled over the back of his car. "Stuck in a scene that was straight out of a movie, perfect…" Josh muttered sarcastically as he was rubbing his head from the crash. "Maybe I still have a chance to escape…" Josh thought to himself as he opened his door. Cross came running quickly and shut the door. "Sit down!" Cross shouted as he slammed the door closed. "Oh man…" Josh groaned as he began to recoil toward the passenger side of car, only to see it was blocked by a pipe. "How ya been?!" Cross said with some sort of enthusiasm in his voice, and a smile on his face. "It's time to settle a little score from Rockport, ya think?" His expression turning stone cold. "Yeah, that's it. Game over, goodbye, adios, I'm done for," was all Josh was thinking. As if Lady Luck answered his call to be saved, he heard and saw a couple red colored cars roll up, an Audi R8 Le Mans Quattro leading the pack. Josh looked on in awe at the sight, and his jaw dropped when he saw who stepped out of the Audi R8.

"Darius…?" Josh mumbled as Cross walked off towards the cars, throwing his arms around in frustration. Unsure of what to do, Josh stayed in his car, and watched the show. Darius gave a small chuckle as he walked toward the bounty hunter. "I don't remember asking for your help, Croc. What makes you think you can bounty hunt in Silverton without my approval?" Darius questioned, a frown on his face forming. "It's Cross, and this guy's from outta town." Cross replied, annoyed at the interruption, pointing back at Josh. Darius looked over at Josh, who was just observing the scene unfolding before him. "Been a long time, kid." Darius spoke. Josh didn't say anything, and just gave Darius a sheepish grin. "What's his bounty?" Darius asked Cross, without looking at him. "A hundred and fifty K." Josh looked at Darius, silently praying that Darius would pay the guy off so he would be free. "David, take care of this guy." Josh let out a mental sigh of relief. Cross walked off toward David without another word, while Darius walked a little closer to the horribly wrecked BMW M3 GTR. "So, that's what you've been up to." Darius said with a small smirk on his face. "Yeah, sort of, kind of, maybe…" Josh trailed off as he heard another car approaching. A red Ford GT pulled up, and Darius chuckled. "Nikki." Josh's jaw dropped as she stepped of the car, a mixed bundle of emotions. "Whoa…" He looked back at Darius, who had a grin on his face. "This should be interesting." Josh stepped out of his totaled car, looking at it with a bit of sadness on his face. He and that BMW had been through a lot together, and now it was totaled beyond repair. Josh brought his attention back to Nikki as she slammed the car door shut and stormed towards him. Nearly slugging him across the jaw, Darius pulled Nikki before she could. "How dare you show your face around here!" She spoke angrily as she fought to break free. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey control yourself." Darius spoke calmly as Nikki continued to fight to break free. "Let go of me!" She muttered to Darius. The trio looked towards Cross starting up his Corvette, spinning it around, and driving off, the roar of the engine growing weaker. Darius put Nikki down facing the other way. She walked off, just watching the Corvette take off while she cooled down, and Darius turned his attention once more to Joshua. "I still don't know what happened that night you took off. But I do know now that you're into me for some serious cash." Darius paused before he continued speaking. "Things have been getting a little too close for comfort with all these crews battling for new territory. I think I could use someone with your skills to help me out." Josh began to tune Darius out a little, focusing on Nikki. "The way I see it, I've bailed you out of a serious jam twice now. Time for you to return the favor." Josh, keeping his attention on Nikki, quickly brought his attention back to Darius when he called Nikki. "Nikki, whadya say you show your old friend the ropes?" Nikki quickly walked over, ignore Joshua's presence and going straight to Darius. "You gotta be joking right?" Nikki said with rejection in her words. "You got a better idea? Darius asked, agitation clearly present in his question. Nikki looked back at him, saying nothing. "I knew Darius was a take-charge kind of guy, but wow… harsh." Josh thought. Darius nodded, looking back at Josh. "Then let's get him started, right away." Before Darius walked back to his car, he kissed Nikki on her forehead, then looked back at Josh to say one last thing. "Don't disappoint." Josh didn't say anything, he just looked at Darius. "Not again." Darius smiled and walked back to his car, turning it on, and taking off. Nikki looked at Josh, with what seemed like a bit of a smirk. "Let's go." Nikki said. Josh just nodded, walking toward the passenger side, feeling still feeling like a mixed bundle of emotions. As they drove toward the location, Josh tried to start up a conversation. "So, um… Nikki," "Not a word."

**Wow, talk about harsh, Nikki. **

**Author's Note**

**Hello again guys, Cross here! (No, not the bounty hunter, the storywriter) I hope you're enjoying my iteration of the story so far, and I want to quickly clear things up before I continue any further. When I'm going to explain the story, I'll be using the normal text, no italics, nothin'. When doing a flashback, I'll use the italics, and for dialogue, I'll use the quotation marks. Just wanted to inform you guys about that, so… yeah. I know I'm technically still on the opening, and I'm trying to go through this quickly so I can get to the good stuff, also partly because I'm gonna be busy soon, so chapters are more than likely gonna come a LOT slower. As always, please leave reviews and comments, I appreciate them all, thank you! Cross436, out! Peace! **


	3. Getting Back In the Swing

The rest of the drive to the park was in silence. As Nikki pulled into the lot, Josh took once last glance at her before they stepped out of the car. A rather large man in a orange tropical t-shirt came over, seeming to know Nikki. "Guess she's made some new friends since I left." Josh thought. "Thanks for waiting up." She told the man. "Yeah, yeah, sure, Nikki. Hey uh, who's the third wheel?" The man asked, pointing to Josh. "Doesn't matter." Nikki quickly responded as she looked back at Josh, who was feeling rather insulted and unwelcome. "Darius made all the cars available to you. Pick one, whichever one you want." The other guy cut in. "Hey if um, if there's three, do I get one? I mean I-I don't care which one but I am partial to the one with the sweet rims." He asked, looking at both Nikki and Joshua. "Why don't you just make sure the tanks are filled?" Nikki asked with a sweet grin on her face. "That's great," looking at both of us. "I'M THE MONKEY!" he shouted before walking off to check the tanks. Nikki looked back at Josh, who was holding his laughter in. "Pick one, and let's get this over with." Josh stepped from around the car to look at the three presented to him. "A Mazda RX-8, a Chevrolet Camaro SS, and an Alfa Romeo Brera." Josh said aloud to himself as he walked past all three cars. "A tuner, a muscle, and an exotic." Nikki was growing impatient. "Yes, yes, yes, one car of each class. Can you hurry up and pick one?" She exclaimed. Josh turned around and looked at Nikki, putting his finger to his lips. She rolled her eyes. He walked over to the Alfa Romeo, then toward the RX-8, and back to the Camaro. Opening the door to the Brera, he sat inside and turned the car on. The engine came to life, softy rumbling. "Finally." Nikki said. "Now, let's go, I don't have all day."

"Neville come on, I don't have time for this!" Nikki said to Neville, who was doing donuts in his car. Finally stopping and backing into place, he looked over at josh and motioned for him to lower his window. Josh lowered the passenger window, leaning to listen to Neville. "Nikki's good. Just… listen to her. And I'll stick around and I'll help out and make sure she's not too hard on ya." Neville said to Josh, grinning. "Thanks." Josh replied back. He didn't know this guy too well, so he wasn't exactly eager to chat. Revving her engine, Nikki shifted into drive and took off, Neville and Josh following. "Okay, come on, let's just get this over with." Nikki commanded, sounding tired and agitated. Cruising along, Josh awaited Nikki's instructions. "So, crews are a big part of building a rep in this city. You can bring a wingman into a lot of the races, and believe me, you're gonna want to. There's basically three different skills you're gonna see. Some drivers are blockers, others are drafters, and then there's scouts. Right now I'll be your wingman just to show you. Neville's gonna help out, be our competition for a few laps." Josh was making mental notes of all this, jotting down the three skills. "Blocker, Drafter, Scout, Blocker, Drafter, Scout." Josh repeated in his head. "Scouts are gonna be working for you full time, at least until they find all shortcuts possible. Blockers, they're like cruise missiles on the road. They don't mind scratching up their rides to knock your competition off the track. Let me show you." As she slammed her brakes. Neville was too busy not looking forward to see Nikki had stopped, and he was gonna run straight into her. Josh watched as the GT didn't budge, while Neville had completely halted. "Hey, my paint!" He cried. Nikki sped off, with Neville following and now paying attention. "Drafters, they're speed demons. Two cars traveling in a line are faster than one. So you gotta get in behind them and stay there for a few seconds. You'll get a boost of speed and when you pull out of the draft, you'll slingshot up ahead. Okay, just say when and we'll draft." Josh pulling behind Nikki's car, she took off, with him in tow. He watched the tachometer move as he picked up speed. He moved to the left, and like Nikki said, he slingshot ahead of her. Josh was grinning that he was ahead of Nikki, only to see her fly ahead of him. "Well that was short lived." Josh muttered to himself under his breath. The last of three types are Scouts. Scouts are like having eyes everywhere. As soon as the race starts, they'll find every back ally, side street, or any kind of route that saves you time." Josh continued to take mental notes. "We had crews back then also, but we never worked with each other, at least not that I remember. Guess things changed." Josh thought. "Let's try it, see if you can keep up." Josh saw Nikki take off, Josh struggling to keep up with the Ford GT. As they cut though allies and side streets, Josh noticed that he was clearing the circuit with a faster time. As they crossed the line again, Nikki slowed down. "There, that's all you need to get started. I'm done wasting my time on you." Nikki said harshly as she spun around and took off. "Later, Neville." Neville pulled up beside Josh, who was watching Nikki take off. "Well, I guess it's just you and me. Let's go find some trouble." Neville said, a grin on his face appearing. "Thanks, but no thanks, Neville. Listen, I understand you're trying to be nice and all, but it's near five in the morning, and I've had a rough night if you couldn't tell. So I'd appreciate it if I had a place to crash." Neville looked inside the car for a second, then back at Josh. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Uh, Darius gave you a safe house to use whenever you like. You know, tune up your cars, or to chill out when the heat's on. Follow me and I'll show you." Neville said as he drove off, Josh following.

Josh was looking around the safe house/garage. "Wow, it's uh…" Josh spoke to no one in particular, examining the layout. "Yeah, I know it's not the best garage ever, but it's a start!" Neville chimed happily. "It looks like you'll be needing a wingman, and it looks like I'm it. Now, go ahead and crash here, I'll be at my apartment, you have my number if you need a wingman for a race." Neville spoke to Josh as he shifted into drive. "Got it. Thanks man." Josh wearily said with a small smile on his face. "Yeah man, sure." Neville was about to take off, then stopped. "Josh!" he called out. "Josh jogged back to the car from the garage entrance. "Yeah?" "Welcome back to Palmont City." He said with a grin as he took off. Josh couldn't help but chuckle, then turned his attention to the sun rising. He had a long day ahead, as he knew he had to familiarize himself with the racing scene again. Walking back inside, he saw a small room that contained a bed with a coat rack. Throwing his jacket on the coat rack, he fell on the bed, quickly falling asleep.

_As Josh sped along the highway loop, he shifted into 5__th__. The roar of the Corvette deafening, as he sped up. Looking back, he saw Razor in his BMW M3 GTR, falling behind. Without hesitation, Josh punched the gas, flying across the finish line. Seconds later, Razor followed… Josh found himself in his BMW again, but this time, a battalion of special forces cars following. As he hit the jump over that old broken bridge that supposedly no car could make, he had a rough landing on the other side. Looking back, he saw the cops had stopped following, and sped off. "There's one other city I can go to where I'll be safe. Home." _

**AN**

**Hey guys, Cross here! Finally! We are done with the tutorial part of the story! Lol, now we can get to the good stuff, which is the racing, the cars, and much more! Also, I didn't mention this before, but the italicized underlined text is for dreams. As always guys, please review/comment, it helps me learn where I can improve, and make Carbonized better for you guys! Just as a heads up, chapters may come slower, so if I don't update daily, I apologize for that, with the holidays coming to an end, I won't have as much free time. Cross436, out! Peace! **


	4. First Run

**Hello guys, Cross436 here! It's been a while since I've updated, and I hope I haven't bored all of you with just the introduction. Just as a heads up, I am telling you ahead of time that chapters are gonna be coming slower, now that I only have weekends to work on Carbonized. Well, without further ado, let the story continue!**

Josh woke up with the lower half of his body hanging off of the bed. Mumbling something to himself, he slipped off the bed, hitting the tiled floor with a thud. "Ow…" Josh mumbled, rubbing his lower back. Pulling himself up and looking at the clock, he saw the time. "Twelve thirty… seven hours of sleep. Not bad." He said to himself before his stomach rumbled. "Guess shopping for some new clothing can wait; breakfast can't." Josh sighed as he got the keys to his car, and headed out, trying to find a diner or a restaurant.

Josh didn't take too long to find a restaurant. "Footy's Diner… been a long time since I've been here." As he walked in. He surveyed the inside of the diner, seeing the place was relatively empty, despite it being one o'clock. Taking a seat in a corner booth, he began to recap the events of last night. "I was coming back to Palmont City, trying to find a place to lay low while the heat from Rockport cooled off, but Cross followed me. He pursued, and he nearly got me, but Darius bailed me out. Then Nikki showed up and nearly punched me. Darius wants me to race for him, doing his dirty work in the process. Then Darius kissed Nikki before she took me to the park… Darius kissed Nikki…" Josh thought to himself as his waitress came to take his order. "Excuse me, sir?" Bringing Josh out of his thoughts. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Josh replied, chuckling. "Is there anything I can get you?" The waitress asked, notepad and pen in hand. "Can I have the… Ham and Egg Omelet?" "Yes sir, can I get you anything to drink?" "A glass of water, please." Yes sir, will that be all?" The waitress asked, jotting down the order on her notepad. "Yes ma'am." Josh responded. "Okay, let me go put your order in, and I'll be right back with your drink." She walked behind the counter, and disappeared behind the "Employees Only" door. Josh looked around the restaurant, admiring the fifty's theme and atmosphere. The waitress came back out with a glass of water with a lemon wedge on the side. "Here you go sir." She said as she placed the glass on the table and placed a straw down. "Thank you." Josh replied kindly. "You're welcome." She replied with a grin on her face as she walked away. Bringing out his meal a few minutes later, Josh greedily ate. After a few bites, his omelet was gone, and after paying for his meal with what little cash he had, so was he.

As he cruised around Palmont City, Josh was taking in the scenery he had loved about the small but bustling city. He passed through the three main districts of Palmont City: Fortuna, Kempton, and Downtown. Passing through Fortuna, he began to re-familiarize himself with the territories. The territories are Palmont University, Ocean View, Fortuna Heights, Hillsborough, and South Fortuna. In Kempton, we have Morgan Beach, The Projects, Eskuri Plaza, Kempton Holdings and Newport Industrial Park. Finally, in the Downtown district, we have the Old Quarter, Historic Chinatown, Mason District, Billings District and Kings Park. Returning to Fortuna after cruising through Palmont, looking at his watch. "Four thirty." He was in a parking lot of a clothing store, about to get another outfit, when he saw a group of modified cars. "Found a crew." Josh thought to himself. Pulling beside them, he lowered his window. "Hey! You guys wanna race?!" Josh shouted at them. The group turned around and looked at Josh and his car for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. "You think you can win in that thing?!" One of them taunted through the laughter. Josh put his car in park and got out. "Pretty sure I can. Besides, just by talking a look at you and your cars, you're nothing but a petty crew, am I right?" Josh taunted back. "Now listen here," one of them members stepped closed to Josh. "Annndd they took the bait." Josh thought, grinning. "You wanna lose so badly? Fine, let's race." Josh just smiled. "Okay." They all got into their cars. Quickly, josh gave Neville a call. "H-hello?" A voice on the other end answered. "Hey Neville, it's Josh." "Oh, hey man! Wh-what's up?" "I found a race." Alright, I-I'll be there in a couple of minutes, where is it? In Fortuna Heights." "Alright, umm… gimme a few and I'll be there."

Neville showed up a couple of minutes later, and the cars all lined up, with the Josh and Neville behind them. A woman walked in front of the group of cars. She raised a flag in the air as the cars began to rev their engines. Josh slowly revved his, trying to get a feel for the perfect rev area. The woman dropped the flag and all the cars took off, Josh getting a bad start. "Dammit, too much rev." Josh muttered as he took 4supth/sup from one of the racers. Shifting into 4supth/sup, he rounded a turn, gaining second place. The member of the Black Hearts wasn't too happy with Josh overtaking him, and began to rear-end him. "Hey!" Josh shouted as he lurched forwards. "What's the hell?!" He saw the person was about to ram him again, but was completely thrown off by someone. 'What the…" Josh saw Neville appear behind him. "Hey no worries man, I got your back." Neville spoke over the comm. "Alright, in that case, let's finish this." Josh replied, a grin growing as his eyebrows narrowed. Switching into 5supth/sup, he took off after the Black Heart member in first, and caught up to him. Blocking each attempt Josh made at trying to pass, he saw an alleyway out of the corner of his eye. Taking his chances, Josh turned left and took the alleyway. Coming out in front, Josh looked behind him, seeing the other racer in his mirror. "Wahoo!" Josh shouted as he crossed the line. The rest of the racers coming in a few minutes later, the reluctantly handed Josh his winnings. "Thanks for the cash." He said as they sped off. "Buncha morons." He muttered under his breath.

As he and Neville drove back towards the garage they were stopped by another group of cars, this time silver and gray, with a TFK logo. An Aston Martin stopped besides Josh, and the driver rolled down the window. "So… How long did it take you to spend all that money you took from me?" "Wolf, I didn't-" Wolf sped off before Josh could say anything, the crew following. "Take the money." Josh completed his sentence. Neville, not sure what to do, asked Josh a question. "Hey, uh, where were you? I didn't get the chance to ask yesterday, or uh, this morning." Josh began driving, Neville following beside him. "I was out in Rockport." Josh replied simply. "Nice! Uh… what were-"Josh cut off Neville before he could finish. "I was racing. You know, the usual: making cops mad, earning money, notoriety, the usual." Josh finished as he pulled over. "Hey Neville… I uh, I wanna apologize if I sound like I'm being rude. I don't-" "No need man." Neville simply responded. "Well I'm gonna go, if you're gonna race, go ahead and give me a call." Neville said before speeding off. Josh got out his car and went into the clothing store, taking a look at his watch. "five thirty." He noted. "I'll go ahead and buy some clothing, go store that at the garage, and then see how Palmont looks at night up close." He mentally noted.

**And we are done for now! I know the first racing sequence does seem kinda underwhelming, but I as go along, hopefully if I get more time, I'll try to develop the sequences more. Also, this is kind of a PSA, I don't know when I'll start on the next chapter. I'm under a lot of stress from other things, so I'm not finding time to be working on Carbonized. Alright, well I hope you like, favorite, all that good stuff! Cross436, out! Peace!**


	5. Reminiscing

**Hey guys, I'm back! I know it's been a while since I've updated, but hopefully this I can be consistent with the chapters, now that things have calmed down more or less. Anyways, onto the story!**

Josh stored his new pants and undergarments in the drawer that was in his safe house room. Neatly tucking it all away, he closed the drawer, and let out a sigh. He as thinking about Nikki again. He loved her, and now that it seemed like he was back in Palmont for a long while, he'd have to be seeing her around. "I still can't believe she's dating Darius…" Josh said aloud, leaning over the drawer. Pulling himself together, he grabbed the keys to the Alfa Romeo, and started up the car. Sitting there in silence for a moment, he listened to the engine rumble. He drove out of the garage, then got out to close the door. Letting the door fall shut, it hit the concrete with a bang. Getting back in his car, he sped off, looking for a way, or a race, to clear his clouded mind of Nikki.

Driving through Palmont City as the sun was nearly hidden away from his eyes, businesses began turning on their lights, as did the streetlights began to flicker on, one by one. He took an exit that lead to a grand view of the city. As he drove on, the only source of illumination were his headlights, the glow of the dashboard, and the occasional streetlight. After what had seemed like hours of driving, he reached the vista. He took up an empty parking spot, and headed to the observation area. He looked on in awe as one by one, the buildings began turning on their exterior lights. Admiring the beauty of the city, he couldn't help himself, and decided to take a picture of the view. As he found the perfect angle and pressed the camera button on his phone, he couldn't help but smile inside. "Huh. I wouldn't expect to see you up here," he heard a woman say to him, taking Josh's attention away from the picture. Looking to see who it was, he instantly felt like a bag of mixed emotions once again, as he saw that the woman who'd called out to him was Nikki. Josh was unsure of what to say, partly due to him being angry at Nikki, but also due to the fact that he still cared deeply for her. "You know, you never struck me as the girl who liked to enjoy the scenery. You'd always be caught up in one thing or another." Josh replied back, venom laced in his words. Nikki frowned. "Coming from anyone else, I'd punch them. You? You're not worth the energy." She retorted. Josh, no longer in a good mood, turned his back towards Nikki and headed for his car. Ignoring whatever she had to him, he got in, and drove off, looking for a race back in Palmont.

Speeding through the canyon, Josh heard an engine roaring behind him, and it was closing in fast. It didn't sound like anything Josh had heard before, but he didn't need to guess twice that the car wasn't made in America. Taking a look in his mirror, Josh saw nothing. He glanced again a few seconds later, and saw headlights on top of the hill, and then immediately behind his car. The car pulled beside him, and revved its engine. Josh's mouth was agape with awe as he examined the car. He hadn't seen, or heard, anything like it; the engine sound, the body design… Josh couldn't think clearly as he kept eyeing the car beside him. Then, like a bullet train, the car took off, and Josh was left speechless. As the car moved into his lane before speeding off, there was one thing that caught his attention. "Lykan…"

**Ooohh…**

**Hey guys, I know as far as chapters go, this was the shortest, and I sincerely apologize for not having anything grand or extravagant, I've been suffering from writer's block, and I don't know if it'll go anytime soon. I'll be around to answer any questions about Carbonized, but I will not be revealing anything about the story. Also, I know Need For Speed Carbon takes place in what seems like 10-15 years ago. For the story's sake, the "lore" is that Josh left Palmont in 2008, was out in Rockport till 2013, and now he's back in Palmont in 2014. I know it doesn't make too much sense, but I didn't want to have just the cars that were in Carbon, I want to feature many more, the newer GT-R, the C7 Corvettes, the Agera R, maybe the Veneno and the Aventador, and of course, the Lykan Hypersport. These aren't all, but just the ones I'm definetly gonna see if we can feature. Anyways, sorry for the long AN, just had to clear up some confusion that might happen. Anyways, I'll see you guys around; Cross436… Is OUT! PEACE! **


	6. New Car, New Man

**Cross436 here guys! I uh… I need to apologize for having been away for so long. School has kept me real busy as of late with state exams coming 'round n' all, and it's just been real busy for me. I want to state I don't know when I'll post the next chapter after this, but I'll try to keep up consistency. Alright, let's get a move on!**

As the Lykan roared off ahead of him, Josh became more curious as to who owned that car, and more importantly, how much it cost. Instead of going out to race, Josh wanted to learn more about the exotic car. As he drove on back to the garage however, a racer from the Black Hearts rolled up beside him at a light, motioning for him to put his window down. "Hey! You got lucky that last race! I bet you can't double down!" the male shouted at Josh. "Lead the way." Josh responded back simply. As the Black Heart racer took off, Josh quickly texted Neville, "Race in Fortuna, Ocean Heights. Sent you the coordinates. Meet me there."

Josh whizzed past the Alfa Romeo that was in front of him, and into first. Shifting into 4th, he activated the nitrous, and took off. The tachometer steadily moved. Flying past the finish line, Josh applied the brakes, the car coming to a stop, the other competitors soon following. The Black Hearts reluctantly gave Josh his cash, not wanting to admit defeat. "Trust me, you haven't seen the last of us." One of the Black Hearts said coldly to Josh before driving off. Josh just internally grinned. He was gaining ground and money fast. "Hey Neville, I'm gonna stay out for a while; you know, race a little more. You want in?" "Hell yeah! Let's go find trouble!" Neville responded with a grin on his face. Looking for another race, Josh found a group of TFK racers nonchalantly hanging out in Fortuna Heights. "Hey!" Josh called out to the racers. "I'm looking for practice, you guys wanna help me out?" The grey clad group looked amongst themselves for a few seconds before deciding to agree to the race, ignoring the taunt. Lined up at the light, the racers revved their engines, waiting for the light to turn green. Josh closed his eyes and took a deep breath; while he was doing that, the light turned green, and the competition took off. Josh got no chance to release that breath as he punched the gas to catch up. Taking a sharp right, pulled the handbrake and drifted into the top three. Not paying attention to the driver behind him, he got rear-ended, sending the car and the contents inside forward. Josh, agitated by the rough housing of the driver, decided to return the favor. He let the driver pass ahead of him, only to pit him and send him into an iron gate. Back in the top three, Josh used his nitrous to propel him past the leader. "Yeah, now we're talkin'!" Neville spoke through the comm. Josh threw the car into fifth as they approached the line, the Alfa Romeo's V6 at its limit. Passing the line, Josh couldn't help but shout, "Yes!" As the group of cars slowed down to a stop, the crews that participated in the race handed their cash to Josh reluctantly. Josh, who now controlled a piece of Fortuna, couldn't help but feel some hope inside him. Neville was just as excited as he was, if not more. "Aw yeah man, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Conquering turf and makin' moolah baby, whoo!" "Haha yes sir, now we're getting somewhere." Josh said wearily. "Hey man, I'm gonna crash for the night, I'll see you tomorrow for some more racing?" "Yeah yeah, sure. After today… ooh baby!" Neville grinned ear to ear in excitement. Josh drove off, headed for his garage house. Parking the car inside, he plugged his headphones into his phone and looked for a good song to fall asleep to. Eventually deciding on Ride Out, he drifted off to sleep.

_Punching the pedal, Josh let the roar of his car talk for him. Driving down a dark bridge, Josh saw a city lit up in neon lights in the distance. Looking to his left, he saw a blacked out Dodge Challenger, seeing a logo on the side that looked like a cat. He looked right, and saw what looked like a GT-R, but… newer. The car was blacked out, just like the Dodge. "Alright man, you ready?" A masculine voice asked through the coms. "Hell yeah, I'm ready. What about you, boss? You ready?" Another voice asked, but was feminine. Josh pushed the pedal down again, letting the engine roar once more. The sounded so familiar, but so… different…_

Josh woke up to silence, the only sound his music playing through his headphones which were no longer in his ears. "Must've fallen out as I was sleeping." He muttered as he searched around for his phone. Finding his phone shortly after thrashing around in the covers for a little, he got up to shower for the day. Checking his phone for the time, he was surprised he was up so early. "8 A.M., huh." He thought aloud. Getting his clothing ready, he hopped in the shower and cleaned up. Getting out after a quick but good cleaning, he dried up and got dressed. Pulling the duffle bag where he stored his money in, Josh counted it out, finding it was about $25,000. "Damn, not bad. Not bad at all." Josh spoke as he grinned. Looking at the front of his Alfa Romeo, he saw it was scratched and destroyed. "Damn. Guess I know what I'm doing today." He muttered. Looking around the garage, Josh sighed, "I can't fix the damage with materials I don't have."

Driving around town to a body shop, Josh saw something that nearly made him slam on the brakes. "Is that… a 1967 Shelby GT 500?" Turning to enter the lot where the car was parked, Josh saw the iconic Shelby logo. Examining the body paint and the interior, Josh figured the car hadn't seen the sun in a while. The paint looked like it was supposed to be black, but age had worn it down. Looking at the 'FOR SALE' sign placed on the window, he nearly jumped when he saw the price. He immediately dialed the number. The owner took a while to answer, but eventually did. 'He-hello? Who is this?" The voice on the other end sounded disoriented, but awake to some extent. "I'm interested in buying the Shelby ma'am." "Really? Hold on, let me get my husband on the phone." There was silence followed by the phone exchanging hands. "So, you're interested in buying the Shelby, huh?" "Yes sir, I saw the price and I couldn't pass on the opportunity to own a car like this. "You have $15,000?" "Yes sir, I have it with me, and in cash." Josh responded quickly. "… How on earth…? I'd rather not know. Alright, uh… give me a few minutes to get there." The man responded before hanging up. Josh eagerly waited for a few minutes before getting inside his car again as the cold got to him. "I knew Palmont could get cold, but damn!" Josh said aloud while he was rubbing his arms to warm up. A few minutes passed, and a minivan pulled into the lot. A man got out of the drivers' side, looking at Josh. Stepping out with the duffle bag on his shoulder, Josh walked toward the man. He was an older guy, in his forties at least. "If the minivan and the receding hair line aren't enough to tell me he has kids, I don't know what is." Josh thought to himself. "You're the guy who wants to buy the Shelby?" he asked sternly. "Yes sir." Josh replied, looking the man in the eyes. The man looked back at Josh for what seemed like an eternity. "I know a racer when I see one, and you have that fire in your eyes kid. I'll sell you the car, on one condition." The man finally replied. "Name it." Josh responded. "I'll sell you the car if you promise to fix her up for me, and when you're done, show her to me." The man responded. Josh nodded, a small grin appearing as he handed the duffle bag to the man. The man tossed him the keys to the old car. "Keep the for sale sign. For when you're done fixing her up." He said before getting back in minivan and driving off. Josh walked over to the Shelby, examining the body. It had dents in spots, and the paint was faded in others. Josh opened the door and sat inside. "Oh boy, I've got some work ahead of me…" Josh spoke to himself as he interested the key into the ignition. The turned it, the car cranking. "Come on baby, come on…" Josh spoke under his breath before the car rumbled to life, the engine revving. "I have a lot of work, but maybe not as much as I thought I did." He pulled out his phone and called Neville. "Josh! Are we gonna race already?" "Nope, I need you to take a cab to the address I'm gonna text you. I need you to bring my car back to the garage." "Why, you brought a new one?" Neville curiously asked. "Yeah, I don't wanna spoil the surprise though." Josh said, a smirk on his face. "Alright, I'll be over in five."

"A SHELBY?!" Neville exclaimed. "Yep. Found her for sale for $15,000." Josh replied. "Now, before you can question me further, get in my Alfa and follow me to the garage." Josh spoke before Neville could say anything else. They both drove off the lot and headed back to the garage. Josh and Neville were stopped at a red light, both lined up. Neville revved the engine, catching Josh's attention. Neville pointed to the streetlight, and Josh instantly knew what Neville wanted to do. Josh revved the Shelby's engine. And while it wasn't the most modern engine, it still had some thunder. The light turned green, and both cars took off, Josh a little behind Neville because he had no traction. That didn't make a difference though, because as soon as the Shelby got traction, it took off, leaving Neville and the Alfa behind. Getting back to the garage, Josh was laughing as Neville tried to make excuses as to why he lost. "Yeah yeah, whatever you say bro," Josh said in between bursts of laughter. "Hey, I'm sticking with my story that you only won cause of the bad start I got!" Neville said, attempting to defend himself. Josh got his tool box out and sat down on the ground in front of the Shelby, looking up at Neville. "I'm gonna be working on the Shelby. Thanks again for all your help, you can go if you want." "Nah man, I got nothin' to do, might as well stick around and help you out." Neville replied. Josh grinned. "Thanks man, I appreciate it."

**So that happened.**

**WooHoo! Spring Break! I have a week, and I'll try to put out as much as I possibly can. And before I get comments or reviews saying that the Shelby is a tier 3 car in NFSC, I know. But keep in mind that I'm pitting a car from 1967 against today's cars. It may seem unfair from a game POV, but when you look at the bigger picture, you see it balances out nicely. Alright, until the next chapter is out, Cross436, OUT! PEACE! **


	7. Working Man

"Alright, fire it up Neville!" Josh shouted from under the Shelby. Neville, sitting inside the Shelby, cranked the ignition, getting nothing. "Damn it, I need to get that fixed." Josh muttered as he pushed himself out from under the Shelby. Getting up, Josh cleaned his hands on his grey tank top, smearing the grease and grime onto it. "I'm gonna head to Advance Auto Parts, see if I can find the crank and exhaust pipes there. Keep an eye on the place," Josh said as he got in his Alfa Romeo. "Yeah yeah, sure, no problem." Neville said coolly leaning on the Shelby. Josh took off to the store, parts list in hand.

Josh arrived a few minutes later, and parked out front. He stepped out, letting the cool air run over his skin and through his hair. "It feels good to take in air that isn't stuffy for once," Josh said to himself; going inside, he locked the car. A chime went off as he walked in, notifying the staff inside someone had come in the store. A young woman with brown hair tied in a ponytail was at the counter, texting away on her phone, almost oblivious to the chime. Looking up from her phone after five minutes of Josh just waiting there, she was immediately wowed by the man standing in front of her. "Well hello there handsome! How can I help you today?" She asked seductively. Josh stood there looking at her, silently questioning the girl, and why she just did that. "I'm here for these parts," Josh handed the list to the girl. "Oh. Samson!" The girl shouted to the back. A man, who looked a little older than Josh, came to the counter. "What is it Lisa?" Samson asked before turning his attention to Josh. "Did you do something to her?" He asked. "What? No, I just need these parts man, I didn't do anything." Josh said. Samson took the parts list and was looking it over. Josh was examining his features. He had short brown hair and had a bit of a goatee. "Haven't I seen you around…?" Josh mumbled aloud to no one in particular. "Yeah, I saw you at Footy's Diner." Samson replied without looking at Josh. Taken aback by the answer, Josh stayed silent. "Yeah, we have these parts in stock, but installing them will be pricey." Samson said to Josh, handing the parts list back to him. "I won't be having them installed, I just need to purchase the parts," Josh replied to Samson. The two men eyed each other for what seemed like an eternity. "Alright, I'll uh, I'll need the list back so I can get the correct parts." Samson told Josh. Handing the list back, Samson took off into the store in search of the parts, leaving Josh and Lisa alone again. Josh looked around the store, pretending to not notice that the young brunette was eyeing him. Wanting to avoid a confrontation, Josh went to the soda machine and pretended to not know what he wanted to drink. Samson came back a few minutes later, carting several boxes. "Alright, that'll be $1,500." Josh pulled out his wallet and took out his debt card. "If you don't mind my asking, what do you need parts for a Shelby for if you have an Alfa Romeo? You fixing one up?" Samson asked out of curiosity. "Yeah, I'm fixing up a Shelby I just brought. It needs some work, but after I'm finished… Whoo, she'll be good." Josh said unable to resist a grin. Samson chuckled, "Hahaha, nice. Alright, here you go," Samson said handing Josh his receipt. "And I'll help you load up the parts." Samson said as he pushed the cart outside.

"Alright, fire her up!" Josh shouted to Neville over the blaring guitar of AC/DC. Neville turned the crank, and without hesitation, the Shelby roared to life. "And there it is!" Josh said with a grin that stretched ear to ear. He watched the engine and all the parts around it work, making sure he installed everything correctly. "Alright, shut her down," Josh motioned with his hand to Neville. The engine was silent again, and with a loud thud, Josh let the hood fall. "Whew! Twelve o'clock and we are done!" Walking to the mini fridge he kept in the spare room of the garage, he grabbed a soda. "You want anything, Neville?" "You have any Coca Cola?" Neville asked as he go out of the Shelby. Josh grabbed a Dr. Pepper and a Coca Cola and brought them over. "Here you go, Josh said as he handed the Coca Cola to Neville. Grabbing a spare chair for Neville, Josh took a seat inside the Shelby. "Now all that's left is to repaint the car." Josh told Neville before he took a sip of his soda. "Yes sir, and then after that, Wolf, here we come!" Neville said with a grin. "Cheers to that, my friend, cheers to that." Josh said as he raised the can of Dr. Pepper.

…

"Alright, well I'm gonna take off man. Ooh, I can't wait to see the Shelby in action tomorrow!" Neville said with excitement. "Haha alright, see ya tomorrow man." Josh said before Neville sped off. Despite the fact he had a soda, he was tired. He made sure the tarp was on the Shelby before crashing on his bed. With no energy left to spare on deciding a song, Josh fell asleep not long after falling on his bed.

_ Peeling off the second racing stripe, I take a look at my once beautiful Corvette. Its once Blade Silver stripe vinyls were now gone, and the paint would be also soon enough… "Ready." I said, hate and anger in my voice. I put on my black racing-style leather jacket and got inside the Corvette; taking a look around at my work, I started up the Corvette. Opening the garage, I took off, out for revenge._

**Hello, Cross436 here once more! I hope you've enjoyed the little detour that I've taken from the standard game, I enjoyed typing it out. Also I wanted to try something new. I wrote the dream in 1****st**** person, it's still from Josh's POV of course, but I wanna know what you guys think. Leave reviews on what you think, what I could fix, what you think of the story so far, etc. Alright, till next time, PEACE!**


	8. It's Never Boring

Josh woke up, disoriented by the sunlight peaking in through the window. Getting out of bed and stretching, he walked into the center room where he had his cars. Looking at the Alfa Romeo, which still had its front end damaged, and the covered up Shelby, which needed a repainting. Josh grabbed a clean set of jeans and undergarments and headed towards the bathroom. Taking off his grey tank top smeared with grease and grime, he took a look at himself in the mirror; and he couldn't help but admire how all the heavy lifting he'd done working with cars had helped his arms bulk up. Not wanting to waste any more time than necessary however, he removed the rest of his clothing and got into the shower.

Josh was out and about in his Shelby, looking for a paint shop. "Now, if I were a paint shop owner, where would I set up?" Josh said to himself as he took a right onto the highway. Taking a look around to make sure no cops were around, Josh turned up the radio and punched the pedal. "And now, here's Mötley Crüe with Kickstart My Heart! Whoo, long live rock n roll BABY!" the radio personality spoke. As the guitar kicked off, the Shelby kicked into gear. "60, 70, 80…" Josh read the tachometer. "When I get high, I get high on speed…" Josh sang along. Pushing the pedal down even further, the Shelby roared. Weaving in and out of traffic, "Yeah, are you ready now?!" Josh sang. "Woah! Yeah! Kickstart my heart, hope it never stops!" Without realizing it, a cop was on the opposite side of the highway, and turned around to pursue Josh. "SIR, PLEASE PULL OVER THE VECHICLE." The cop ordered Josh. Josh looked in his mirror when he saw the cop. "Aw damn it…" Josh muttered as the song came to an end. They had just exited the freeway when Josh pulled over to the side of the road. Lowering the radio as he put the car in park, Josh sighed; when he got a stupidly brilliant idea, shifting the car back into drive.

The cop walked over to the driver's side of the car, he examined the Shelby. Leaning over to reach the height of the car, he asked, "Son, do you have any idea how fast you were going?" "Um…" Josh stuttered. "One-twenty. In a seventy zone. That's over the speed limit." The cop told Josh. Josh went silent for moment while he thought of something to say. "Officer, how fast does that Charger go?" Josh said with a smirk. The officer frowned. "Now, if you're thinking of-" Josh punched the gas, the tires smoking. The cop, blind, attempted to get back to his car, but only ended up running onto the road. "Damn it!" the officer shouted as he made it back to his car. "Dispatch, I am in pursuit of a 510, the vehicle took off during an 11-95, officer requesting backup!" "Can you give me more details regarding the description of the vehicle and driver?" Dispatch requested. "Suspect is driving a Black 1967 Shelby mustang with silver stripes, areas of the paint are faded; suspect is a man, possibly late teens to mid-twenties, dark brown hair and eyes, wearing a black button shirt with a brown leather jacket over it." "Roger that, units are on the way." Dispatch replied.

Josh shifted into 4th, the tachometer rapidly moving. The Charger appeared behind him as he took a sharp left, Josh cursed. "Damn it!" The cop rear ended him, attempting to make Josh lose control of the vehicle. "Man, why'd go and mess up the bumper?!" Josh shouted aloud. The cop pulled besides him, "PULL OVER THE VEHICLE." The officer in pursuit commanded. Josh let off the gas a little, only to swerve into the cop. Both the cop and Josh went spinning, although the cop went into a nearby car, Josh just spun out. "I can't believe that worked," Josh exclaimed aloud before he turned around and sped off. "Dispatch, I've been immobilized, where the hell is that backup?!" The officer exclaimed. "Backup on its way." Dispatch repeated once more. Josh drove until he found an abandoned ally way, coming to a stop. He heard sirens whiz by him, and immediately reached for the shift stick and got ready to drive once more. He sat there waiting for what seemed like an eternity, until he decided it was safe to head out. "Note to self: Get a police scanner for the car." Josh told himself as he drove out of the ally way. Josh stayed parked at the side of the road for a while, just as a precaution to avoid being spotted. He eventually drove back onto the street, resuming his original objective.

He drove for three block when he saw a sign that caught his attention. "Ken's Paint Shop…" Josh said out loud. He turned into the parking lot of the building and shut off the Shelby. Locking the car up, Josh went to see about the paint job. Opening the door, an electronic chime went off, and a man at the counter immediately looked up. "This dude can't be older than I am." Josh thought to himself. "Hello, and welcome to Ken's Paint Shop, how can I help you today?" "Yes, I'd like to have my car repainted, I was curious as to how long it'd take for it to be done, because I need it for later tonight." Josh replied walking up to the counter. "I see. Looking to impress that special someone, huh?" The man smirked. Josh chuckled, "Not exactly." "Alright, well what kind of car are we looking at? Camry? Sentra? Impala? I bet you're an Impala type of guy." The man said as walked around the counter and with Josh outside. "Well…" Josh began, but was cut off by the man's intake. "A Shelby, huh? Not too often we see those around here." The man began. "You said a repaint was in order?" "Yes, but I want to change the color of paint, and the vinyls if possible." Josh responded. The man silently stared at the Shelby for a moment, before walking back inside the shop, Josh following. He began typing away at the computer, then after he finished, looked at Josh. "So, here's the deal: We can have it done by tonight, both the vinyls and paint, but for us to have it done professionally, it will be a bit pricier. Otherwise, we can have it done, but the quality won't be as good." "How much will it cost to have it all done professionally?" Josh asked, getting his debt card out. "About $4,500, taxes included." The man replied. Josh handed his card to the man, and after a swipe or two and a signature, Josh handed the keys over. "Alright Mr. Carter, we'll call you when we're done. Also, before I forget, what colors did you want on the vinyls and paint?" The man asked, ready to type at the computer. "I want the paint to be blue, and the vinyls white." Josh told him. "By the way, I never caught your name." "Oh, my name is Sal Mustella." Josh grinned as he shook his hand. "Alright Sal, well it was nice meeting you. Thanks again." Josh said as he walked out the door.

Walking along the streets, Josh pulled out his phone and called Neville. "Josh! What's up man? We racing?" Neville asked. "No, I was hoping you could give me a lift actually. I dropped the Shelby off to get painted at a place in Kempton, Morgan Beach specifically." There was silence on the other end. "Alright, I'll be there in about ten minutes. Enjoy the view, I hear the beach is real nice around this time of day." Neville said before he hung up. Josh check the time before he slipped his phone into his pocket, and walked towards the pier. "3:30." Josh mumbled to himself as a grin appeared on his face. His walk was interrupted however, when a group of grey muscle cars with orange vinyls that had the logo "21st" printed on it. The lead car revved its beefy engine, Josh ignoring it. "Hey!" The woman driving the car shouted at him. Josh sighed before turning around to see who it was, and wasn't surprised to see it was Angie. "Thought I recognized you." She smirked. "What's a coward like you doing in a place like this?" she taunted as she got out of her car to confront him face-to-face. Josh turned around and kept on walking. "What, too chicken to confront me? It wouldn't be the first time you were afraid of a woman." The crew laughed at Angie's words. Josh, growing red in the cheeks at Angie's words, had to defend himself in some sort of way. "Now only if your driving was as good as your insults. Oh wait, both suck." Josh said bluntly. The crew fell dead silent, and Angie's grin disappeared. "I'll see you 'round, Joshua. I'll see you around." Angie said smirking before she got back in her car and drove off, the crew following.

**AN**

**Whew! Man I didn't anticipate the chapter being this long! But oh well xD My goal is to have atleast up to Chapter 10 before I go back, after this, I still have 9 and 10 left. I'll start 9 tomorrow and hopefully finish it within the day, and the same plan goes for 10. Alright, well I'm out. Till next time, PEACE! **


	9. A New Friend

Josh stared into a seemingly endless ocean while he recollected his thoughts. "So I think I can make a safe bet Kenji isn't too happy to see me either." Josh thought to himself. "Still, it's not like Kenji and I were best buds or anything. Hell, we basically hated each other." The rev of an engine that sounded all too familiar caught Josh's attention. He saw Nikki's Ford GT pulling out of a parking spot on the pier, and with one last rev, she sped off. Josh looked on, not sure how to feel. He loved Nikki still, but after the events that have occurred over the past couple of days… He stayed put, waiting for Neville. Josh checked his phone again. "3:55. Damn it Neville, hurry up…" Josh muttered to himself as he slipped his phone inside his pocket. Hearing a honk as soon as his phone got to the bottom of his pocket, Josh grinned. Turning around, he saw Neville's Mercedes Benz CLK 500 waiting at the front of the pier. Leisurely walking towards the car, Josh couldn't help but grin. "When that Shelby is done being repainted, oh boy… Time to work." Josh thought. Getting inside the car, Josh was blasted with a breath of cold air. "Neville, I know the weather isn't exactly cold, but dude, it's barely seventy degrees out." "I know, but I like it when it's cold." Neville replied. Josh just shrugged as he put his seatbelt on. "I guess." "Hey, wasn't that Nikki's car that just took off?" Neville asked to no one in particular. Josh shrugged shaking his head sideways. "I don't know man. Hey, can you take me back to my garage? I gotta repair the damage to the Alfa Romeo." "Yeah yeah, sure." Neville chimed happily.

…..

"Aaaand there! Good as new!" Josh said to himself as he finished shining the bumper. He stood up to admire his handiwork. In addition to fixing up the bumper, Josh also replaced the standard seats with racing style seats and washed the car. "What time is it…?" Josh asked himself before going for his phone. "Ten till eight. Not bad, Carter." Josh spoke to himself. As he put his phone down and was about to get to work on tuning up the engine, his phone began ringing. "Ya couldn't just call me when I had my phone in hand…" Josh joked aloud. "Hello?" "Hello Joshua, It's Sal." The person on the other end answered. "I wanted to call to let you know that your Shelby is done, and you can come pick it up tomorrow, since we're gonna close in ten." "Um… I don't wanna burden you man, but can you wait a little after the shop closes? It won't take me long to get there." Josh asked, his fingers crossed. The line stayed silent for a moment. "Sal?" Josh asked, hoping the call didn't drop. "How about I drop it off? I'll take good care of her, but I, uh… I know who you really are." Sal replied. "Um…" Josh was at a loss for words. "I know you race, and uh… believe it or not, I'm a big fan. I watched you race before you left. These new guys… Buncha posers, no respect." Sal continued nervously. Now Josh was silent, thinking of what to do. "Alright, bring her over; do you have a cell phone I can text the address to?" Josh replied, searching for a pen and paper. "Awesome! I mean, alright, cool. Oh! The number is…" Josh wrote the number down quickly. "Alright, I'll see you in a bit man, thanks again Sal." Josh spoke into the phone before hanging up.

The Shelby's engine revved as it pulled into the garage's lot. Josh walked out to see his Shelby, and whistled. "Damn! Nice job. And not a scratch on her." Josh joked. "And you made it here pretty quickly too." "I grew up here, I know just about every alleyway and shortcut that's in Palmont." Sal replied handing the keys to the Shelby back to Josh. Josh sat inside and turned the Shelby back on, repositioning it to face the street. "Now earlier, you said you knew who I was, and that you knew I raced." Josh asked as he turned off the Shelby and went back inside. "Yeah, I've watched you race since you first started. I remember seeing you push that Plymouth Cuda past the Boss 302 and winning the race." Josh laughed. "Oh man, that was one of my very first races! I was, what… 21, I think?" Josh told Neville grinning. Yeah, and since then, every time you raced, I'd go to watch. And occasionally bet." Neville replied. "Watching you drive, it was like… It was awesome. No car could touch you." Neville continued as Josh put on his white leather jacket with black racing stripes going across the sleeves. "Damn… I gotta ask Sal, do you race?" Josh asked walking back out of the garage, locking up as Neville followed. "Yeah, I have a nice Camaro SS that I use. Why? You looking for a wingman?" Sal asked. "Actually, yeah. I am." Josh simply replied. "I'll take your offer then man." Sal said, sticking out his hand, Josh reaching out to shake it. "Now, uh… I can't race with no car." Sal joked. "Right, right. You need a lift to your place to get your Camaro?" Josh asked. "I'd appreciate it." Sal said with a small grin.

Pulling up to the starting line at a Checkpoint race in Ocean View. Josh took a deep breath as he waited for the green. The fastest time had been five minutes and eleven seconds, and that was in a Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG. Josh watched as the lady who'd start him off walked in front of his car, and stopped on the left. "Three!" She began shouting. Josh revved the engine, eyes back on the road ahead of him. "Two!" A pause in between numbers. "One!" Josh had his right foot ready to hit the gas, his left foot already to press the clutch. "GO!" And Josh punched it. The moment he took off, his time began. He had forty five seconds to get to the first checkpoint, and he didn't get a good start either. "Damn it, too little rev." Josh muttered as he shifted into third. He rotated the wheel left and right, going with the turns of the road; the car nearly spinning out. "Come on Josh, focus. Your goal for tonight is take over Ocean View." He told himself as he passed the first checkpoint. "Thirty five seconds added!" Sal told him over the speakers. Josh down shifted into second as he drifted through a right turn. Turning the wheel left to counter the tail end coming out, the car balanced out, its throaty engine roaring. "That's my girl." Josh said to the Shelby. "Come on. Let's finish this." Shifting back into third, he took off. Josh kept his eyes on the road and nothing more, the lights of Fortuna nothing more than a blur. He flew through the second checkpoint, avoiding a minivan as he did. "One minute added to the clock!" Sal informed Josh. Acknowledging the time he had, Josh shifted into fourth, and pressed the nitrous button on the steering wheel. The car took off, spitting out small flames as it did. Josh took his finger off the nitrous and applied the brakes to take a left turn, the car's tail kicking out as it did. "Come on, don't do this now…" Josh moaned as he turned the steering right to counter the oversteer. Passing the third checkpoint, Sal told Josh he had thirty seconds added to his time. "How much time do I have left?" Josh asked. "A minute fifteen." Sal replied over the speakers. Josh had gotten the Shelby to balance out, hitting the nitrous button once more. The car took off, Josh having trouble shifting to keep up with the car. Flying past the finish with twenty five seconds on the clock, Josh slowed the car to a halt. Driving over to where the timekeepers were, Josh awaited his time. "You beat these guys by a mile man!" Sal exclaimed excitedly as he walked over. "Let's see." Josh told Sal while he waited. "Three minutes and forty seven seconds!" The timekeeper shouted out. A lot of people groaned and a few yelped in excitement, Josh and Sal a few of those people. "What'd I tell you man!" Sal said excitedly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Josh rolled his eyes, grinning. Collecting his winnings, Josh headed back to his car. "Sal!" Josh called out. "Yeah, what's up?" Sal asked jogging over. "Let's go race, shall we?" Josh asked grinning. "Hell yeah!"


	10. Gaining Ground

Josh and Sal lined up at the back of the pack, looking around at the competition. "Alright, so we have racers from TFK, Blackhearts, the Kings, and… What are we?" Sal asked Josh. "Huh. I never gave much thought as to our crew name and stuff." Josh admitted. "We'll worry about that later, but for now, let's focus on the task ahead of us." Josh told Sal as one of the girls that started the races came in front of the pack of cars. "Three!" She shouted. The group of cars began revving and burning out. "Two!" Sal was burning out while Josh was revving, trying to find the Shelby's sweet spot. "One!" Josh took a deep breath while Sal began looking ahead of the pack, scanning for shortcuts or back alleys. "GO!" And the pack of cars was off. Josh flew right in-between two cars and past them, already in first. Sal has to punch it and use some of his NOS just to catch up to Josh. "Alright, I'll lead the way!" Sal told Josh moving ahead of him. "Alright, but if things get too close for comfort, don't worry about me, just keep doing what you're doing." Josh replied. Sal simply nodded, and with that, the competition had caught up. The pack took a left only to make a right turn. Josh let Sal lead, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to put in work. Josh spent this race keeping other racers from getting into second, and moving those who got in his way out. "Alright, hold out for a little while longer…" Sal said while he flew through an alleyway. Josh saw the opportunity and punched it, leaving the competition behind. Sal coming out of the alleyway, he saw Josh was ahead of him. "Hey! I thought I was leading!" Sal joked. "Hahaha hey, I let you lead the majority of the race, but I still plan to finish first!" Josh retorted with a grin. The Shelby passing the line first, with the Camaro SS in second, and a TFK racer in third. Josh and Sal were talking when a man in a grey trench coat and red scarf came up to them. "That was a good race. Nice driving, both of you." He told them. "Thanks." Josh replied simply. The man walked back to his Porsche Cayman S, got in, and drove off. "Who was that?" Sal asked, scratching his head. "No clue." Josh replied, looking on at the driver. "The guy couldn't be too older than I am. Doubt he's younger." Josh thought to himself. Josh was brought out of his thoughts when Sal called him. "Dude, the crew owns Ocean View!" Sal told Josh excitedly. "Huh. Not bad." Josh coolly replied with a grin. "I'm gonna head out already, you gonna come with?" Josh asked Sal as he loaded the bag with his winnings into the Shelby. "Nah man, I'm gonna stay out for a little longer. If that's fine, I mean." Sal quickly replied. "Nah, it's fine. Alright," Josh said as he started up the Shelby. "See you 'round man. I'll send a message if there's a race." "Alright, see ya man." Sal said as Josh drove off.

Josh began the drive home, rolling the windows down and turning up the radio just a little. "Alright, for all y'all broken hearts-" Josh quickly shut off the radio. He didn't care, broken hearted tunes were not something he liked to hear. A group of TFK cars blocked the road ahead of him and Josh had to break. The blockade cleared in the center, and a familiar Aston Martin DB9 rolled out besides Josh. "I think you're mistaken." Wolf began. "This area is for serious drivers. Not thieves and cowards." Josh just rolled his eyes as Wolf and the rest of the grey-clad cars took off. Continuing his journey home, Josh went a little faster. Eventually arriving at the garage, Josh parked the Shelby inside and soon after crashed on his bed. Laying there for a moment before getting up and taking off his shoes and jacket, he laid down again, this time under the sheets before knocking out.

_As I closed the door to my car, I found myself back at the observatory. I walked over to the viewing point, where I looked at Palmont in all its lights. "Hey, everything okay?" A feminine voice called out to me. I turned around and saw it was Nikki. She was dressed in a black dress, her brown coat covering a good part of it. "I'm fine." I replied bluntly. "No you're not. You just got up and left after the funeral service. What's going on?" Nikki asked again. "Why do you care?" I responded. "You didn't care about how I felt when I got back, why do I suddenly matter to you now?" "That was before I knew the real story! I know you're upset at me-" "YOU THINK?!" I shouted back. Nikki was taken aback by my outburst, her facial features saddening. "Look, I…" She began. "Don't tell me. I'm sorry for bursting out at you like that, but… I'm in a bad place right now." I replied softly. I felt her arms wrap me as I felt her press herself against my back. "I know. We all are."_

Josh was awakened by the sound of knocking at the garage's door. "Coming!" Josh shouted as he quickly threw off the covers. The dream nothing but a distant thought now, Josh looked through the peep hole, and saw it was Nikki. Unlocking the door, Josh greeted her as awake as he could possibly be. "Hey." He said groggily. "Um, hey." Nikki replied, her expression slightly confused with Josh's appearance. Josh was looking at her, then quickly realized why she was looking at him in an awkward way. "Oh, uh, I just woke up, actually." He replied sheepishly. Nikki shrugged. "Can I come inside?" "Yeah, sure." Josh replied, opening the door for her. Nikki walked in and was examining the contents of the garage. "Darius asked me to come by, see how you were doing." She told Josh as she walked around, peeking in the rooms. "Seems like you've cleaned up the place a bit." Nikki stated. "Can I, uh, get you something to drink? Coffee, water, soda?" Josh asked, trying to be polite to his guest. "No I'm fine, thanks though." She turned around to face Josh, who was sitting on the Shelby's hood. "New car?" Nikki asked. "Yep." Josh replied simply. Nikki nodded in approval. "It's nice." She walked around a little more, looking in the makeshift kitchen and bedroom. "Been generating quite a bit of buzz you know." Josh stayed silent, sensing a 'but' coming. "But you're not foolin' me. What I'm trying to figure out is why you haven't skipped town yet." Nikki said as she looked Josh dead in the eyes. Josh scoffed, a small smirk appearing. "Wow, still the same as ever." He said aloud. "Well you got Darius to pay your debt to Cross off. You don't have a reason to stick around." Nikki retorted. Josh got off the hood of his Shelby and walked around a little before leaning against a wall. "I'm sticking around for one reason, and that's to pay off my debt to Darius. Simple. Nothing else." Josh told Nikki. Watching her facial expressions, Josh could've almost seen the hurt he caused Nikki with those words. "Well, glad to see you've at least changed that part of your personality." She responded bluntly. Josh, despite the fact he wasn't one to be angered easily, took the bait Nikki threw at him just now. "And what's that supposed to mean?" He asked Nikki flatly. "Oh nothing, just that you've changed, and it's for the better." She replied with a grin on her face. "Right." Josh said, rolling his eyes. "Well, I believe I'm done here. I'll see you around." Nikki said as she went for the door. Josh just watched as she left. "Stupid!" He quietly shouted to himself. He heard her Ford GT speed off, the engine screaming. "Of all the things…" He muttered. "You've changed." Josh mocked Nikki, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration. Getting his clothing ready, he went in for a shower.

_Meanwhile…_

Nikki shifted into third, heading back to Silverton and Darius. She laughed at the thought of Josh getting upset at her remark. "Hmph… He's changed, but yet… still the same."

**AN**

**Hello readers, Cross436 here again! Wow, honestly, I didn't think I'd finish ten today! I know it's mostly just drama, but it raises the stakes for the finale, no? Anyways, hopefully I'll be able to upload another two chapters before Sunday is over, but we'll see what happens. Alright, well I'm out, PEACE!**


	11. Daylight Drive

Leaving Footy's Diner, Josh sped off in his Shelby looking for an electronics store. Cruising along, Josh came to a stop at a red light. "I think I saw one in Downtown Palmont when I first got back…" Josh thought to himself. The light turned green, and Josh drove until he took a left to get on the highway. Despite the rough start he got this morning, he was in a relatively good mood. Getting off the expressway and heading into the Downtown district, Josh didn't have to look far to find a shop.

"Alright, thanks again!" Josh told the cashier as he left the store. It didn't take long to have the screen and scanner installed, and the best part was they didn't mess up the original dashboard. Getting back in his car, Josh wasn't sure of what to do next. "Damn, I have nothing else I need to do today." Josh thought as he started up his Shelby and took off. "Well, I could improve my living conditions, I mean I'm not complaining, but it could use a little more… homey feel to it." "Guess that's what I'll try today… wha?" Josh's train of thought was interrupted as he saw a group of racers, pulling into the lot where they were parked. "Hey, are you guys gonna race?" Josh asked the group. "We're gonna head up to the canyon and go drifting. Why? You think you can handle it?" One of the group, a TFK member, replied. "Lead the way then." Josh responded.

Seeing the twists and turns of the road, and noting the barriers were breakable, Josh began to question if using the Shelby was such a good idea. As the other racers ran the course, all of them scored above fifty thousand points, the highest score eighty six thousand points. Pulling up to the starting gate, Josh saw the countdown on his screen, the sun shining bright. Revving the Shelby as the numbers counted down, Josh took off the moment the number one was replaced with "GO!"

Rapidly approaching the first corner, Josh let off the pedal and turned the steering wheel left. The car mere inches away from the guard rail, Josh turned the steering wheel in a little more. Pushing the pedal down while steering right to counter the tail end, he left the first corner, sixteen thousand points on the board. Josh pushed the Shelby, being more aggressive in the corners. Heading into the second turn, Josh approached it with the same strategy. The turn was wider than the first, so Josh decided to keep his foot down on the gas. The steering wheel turned to the left, Josh kept his eye on the rear, watching how close it'd come to the guard rails. Continuing his drift into the next turn, Josh quickly spun the steering wheel to the right. The tail end completely unbalanced and threw the whole car off, sending Josh into the wall. "Damn it!" He shouted. "Man, there goes the mirror." He muttered.

Looking at the screen as he got his momentum back, he saw he was in third as of now, but he didn't want third. The fourth turn coming around, Josh pushed the brake as the steered right. Attempting to chain the drifts once more, he turned the wheel left, but instead of just letting the car turn, he punched the throttle, hoping that'd help counter the tail end. The car balanced out just mere inches away from the guard rails again. Using his NOS, Josh checked the scores as he came out of the turn and onto a straightaway. "Damn, five thousand short of first." Josh said to himself. Looking ahead, he saw he only had one opportunity to take first and win the drift event. Two turns, the first a close right followed by a left. Josh let off the pedal just enough to get himself through the turn, without slowing down too much. Going through the motions, he tried chaining the drift again, and spun the wheel to the right. The tail end kicked out as Josh looked back, watching the tail end creep closer and closer to the guard rail. "Oh no, not today!" Josh muttered as he punched the nitrous button. The car balanced out, and Josh crossed the finish. "Yes!" He shouted, seeing the results. The screen indicated that he was in first, and had won by sixteen thousand points. Driving back to the spot where they monitored the car, Josh collected his winnings and headed back to the city.

Heading back to South Fortuna, Josh found a group of Blackheart racers. Pulling into the lot, Josh couldn't help but grin as he heard on them say "Oh no… not this guy." "I'm looking to race. Any of you know a real crew that wants to race?" Josh taunted.

Josh called on Neville, seeing as he'd take less time to get to the start. Neville pulled up alongside the Shelby, the starter on the far left of the pack. "Three!" The pack of cars revving their engines. "Two!" Members of the Blackhearts and Kings began burning out, while Josh and Neville continued revving. "One!" Josh took a deep breath, and let it go. "GO!" And with that one word, the pack was off, Josh punching the pedal, making a route between two cars. "Excuse me!" Josh shouted with a grin as he parted the cars. Getting into first, Josh saw Neville slipped through the far left, catching up with Josh. "Alright, let's win this!" Neville said with a cocky grin. Taking off ahead of Josh, Neville shifted in to fourth gear. Looking to his left, Josh saw a racer trying to pass him. Hitting the nitrous, Josh stayed ahead of the driver. Focusing on the road again, he passed Neville, shifting into fifth. Taking a shortcut through the park, Josh honked his horn as a warning to the pedestrians. Getting back on the road, Josh had lost two positions instead of retaining first. Pressing the gas pedal down, Josh got ready to shift back into fifth when something caught his eye. "Cops!" He shouted. Neville heard Josh through the speakers, and immediately looked around. "Cops? Where?" Neville asked. Josh roared by Neville, and he saw the police cruiser following. "Oh. There."

The officer stayed a good distance behind Josh, to avoid making contact. "Dispatch, I'm requesting backup, there is a group of code 510's heading through South Fortuna." "Roger that, back up is on its way." The dispatcher responded. Josh flew through the finish line with three cops on his heels. Taking a sharp left, he used whatever NOS he had left. Seeing an eighteen wheeler hauling some pretty big logs, Josh got an idea. Pulling on the right side of the truck, he saw the cops directly behind him. "Perfect Josh said as he slammed the Shelby into the side of the trailer. The logs came loose from the impact, sending them down. Josh punched it, barely avoiding a log, while the cops were halted by the logs that had just rained down. "Dispatch, we have three officers down… suspect is getting away."

Josh roared off, not glancing back. He needed to collect his winnings for the race, and repair the damage to the Shelby. Taking off for his garage, Josh pulled out a remote from his pant pocket and clicked a button. "So glad Neville recommended this." Josh said as he drove into the garage. He saw a duffle bag sitting on the hood of the Alfa Romeo. Opening the back and seeing bundles of cash inside, he found a note. "Here's the winnings. Lucky you, the cops didn't pursue me. See ya at the next race. –Neville" "Huh." Josh said as he finished reading the note. "Thanks man." Closing the garage and shutting off the Shelby, Josh put the bag in the spare room, along with the other one from yesterday. Shutting the door to the spare room, he sat down inside the Shelby, just listening to the sounds of cars passing.


	12. And Then There Was One

**Hello guys, Cross436 here. We're getting close to the first duel between the bosses and Josh! It'll be happening within the next 2-3 chapters, but I'll more than likely separate the city race and the canyon duel. Alright, anyways, here we go!**

Josh rolled out of bed, getting up from his nap. He stretched for a moment, seeing that the sun had set and the moon was out. Hearing a knock at the door, Josh went to see who it was. As he walked towards the door he looked at the Shelby and admired his handiwork fixing the damage done during the last race. Checking the peephole, he saw it was Sal. "Hey, what's up Sal?" Josh said as he opened the door. "Hey man, we gonna go racing? Two more areas of Fortuna and then Wolf has to challenge you!" Sal said as he walked inside. "Haha yeah, that's for sure." Josh said closing the door behind Sal. "Well, I'm up for conquering the rest of Fortuna tonight, you in?" Josh asked Sal while grabbing his jacket. "Oh yeah." Sal said with a cocky grin. Getting inside the Shelby and turning the car on, the engine roared. "Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go to work." Josh told Sal.

Lining up at the starting line at a circuit race in Hillsborough, Josh began to zone out everyone around him and focused on the track ahead. Numerous twists and turns awaited him, and he had to stay focused. Besides winning the race, Josh wanted to have conquered Fortuna before the night was over. He'd clean up the races he didn't own tomorrow night. The racer starter was talking with one of the TFK racers before she went to the front on the pack to start the race. "Three!" She began shouting. Josh began to inhale while revving the Shelby. "Two!" Some racers had begun burning out. "One!" Josh let out the air before giving the Shelby one last rev. "GO!" And with that, Josh flew off the starting line, the pack behind him already.

The first turn already here, Joshua pulled the handbrake and turned left. He had gone into the turn early enough to avoid the tail hitting the wall. Josh shifted into third, the car getting its traction back. Punching the throttle, he floored it into the next turn. Pulling the handbrake and letting the car drift through the turn, Josh put the gas down again, the car taking off. Looking in the mirror, the competition wasn't that far away, but Josh ignored the cars behind him, and focused on the road. A wide right ahead of him, Josh eased the car into the turn, stepping on and off the gas. Taking a shortcut, Josh punched the gas, being as careful as he could to avoid hitting anything. Seeing the shortcut continued, but was across the street, he pushed the nitrous button. Flying through the street, he turned left to avoid colliding with the wall. The car's tail end coming out, Josh turned right to counter. Balancing out, Josh shifted back into third. Coming out of the shortcut, the competition, Sal included, were nothing but headlights.

Bringing his attention back to the road, Josh swerved right to avoid hitting a van. Turning that swerve into a drift, Josh saw that the front bumper was inches away from the wall. Turning the wheel left to bring the car back, Josh punched the throttle. Taking off, Josh took his attention off the road for a moment because he had a straightaway with no traffic ahead of him. Getting on his phone and clicking the song 'Ride Out' he locked his phone and put back in the cup holder. _"Came in at first, had bad luck…"_ The song began. _"This the only way we know to go,"_ Josh nodding his head to the beat. Punching the throttle, Josh went up the road and the Shelby was airborne. Landing hard, Josh was turning the wheel left and right to balance out the wheel. _"We just sit back, relax, doin' things to impress,"_ The first verse ended, going to the chorus. Josh shifted into fourth, taking a left turn, Josh passed the finish line. "One more lap." Josh told himself as he approached the first turn again. Pulling the handbrake and turning left, Josh drifted through the first corner. The car balanced out, still drifting. Josh spun the wheel to the right, attempting to chain the drifts. The car stayed in the center of the road, drifting through the turn. "Hell yeah!" Josh shouted as he straightened out the car. _"Squad up, never roll alone." _Heading towards the right turn a second time, Josh slowed down through the corner, the competition still going through the second turn. Josh zoned out the roar of the engine and listened to the song.

_Ridin' on ton of waves  
>And no way these people stoppin' me, oh no<br>Flyin' from a mile away _"Gas."_  
>It's not a problem, only real ones follow me<br>And I can do this with my eyes closed  
>Blindfold two times over <em>"Handbrake, throttle."_  
>Ride solo, I got women and got soldiers<br>I ain't trippin', you try to get it your night's over  
>Talkin' all Melatonin, get it and fight coma <em>"Nos."_  
>What's defeat to a giant, people feedin' the fire<br>History, people be less them people flee when they flyin'  
>You don't believe it? Then try it <em>"Handbrake."_  
>We don't believe in just tryin'<br>I call it peoples and leave 'em in 100 pieces divided  
>That's cold blooded <em>"Throttle."_  
>And I've been this dope for like four summers<br>And I ain't really going for the he say, or she say  
>Keep it G for Pete's sake <em>"Left."_  
>I know this shit that bone you pick <em>"Right."_  
>Might leave you people feetless<em>

Josh crossed the finish line well ahead of the competition, not even realizing it. Lowering the radio as he drove to the side, he saw the racers follow, Sal leading the pack. Collecting his winnings, Josh put the bag in the passenger seat. "What was that all about?" Sal joked, leaning in to the driver's side. "It was… driving." Josh replied simply. "Hey, I'm heading to a sprint event next, you want in?" Josh asked Sal. "What are we waiting for, let's go!"

Pulling behind the pack of drivers, Josh saw a bright flash in the sky. Looking to his left, he saw Sal looking at the sky. "Looks like I'm not the only one who saw it." Josh thought. The starter walked in front of the pack of cars, rather quickly. "Looks like she wants to get this race started before the rain hits, if there's any." Josh muttered. "Three!" She began shouting. The pack of cars revving their engines, Josh focusing on the road. "Two!" Josh pressed the gas down, the Shelby's engine roaring. "One!" Josh gripped the wheel a little tighter, tensing up. "GO!" The pack of cars took off, Josh burning rubber. "Too much rev." Josh told himself as he rolled up his windows seeing drops of water on his windshield. Shifting into third, Josh checked the screen to see he was in sixth currently. Pressing the pedal down a little harder, Josh shifted into fourth. Overtaking the racers in fifth and fourth, Josh noticed the driver that was in fourth was driving a Porsche Cayman S. Making mental note of that detail, Josh brought his attention back to the road as another bright flash of light illuminated the sky. Taking a left turn, Josh overtook the other two racers ahead of him, the only person ahead now Sal. "Hey! Look who decided to wake up!" Sal joked. "Hey, I only took so long to get here because I… Let me get back to you on that." Josh responded, grinning. Pulling up beside Sal, Josh and Sal spent the entire race trading first and second. Sal would overtake Josh in the turns, but when a straightaway came around, Sal didn't stand a chance. The finish line just ahead, both cars being pushed, the Shelby crossed the line first, the Camaro following just seconds later. "Aww yeah!" Josh laughed. "Hey, you got lucky!" Sal replied, laughing with Josh.

…..

"Hey man, I don't think I'm gonna risk racing anymore today. This rain is getting bad, and I'm not interested in wrecking." Josh told Sal over the phone. "Yeah yeah, I get you. I was gonna say we should call it a night because of the weather." Sal replied. "Alright, well I'll see you around man. Tomorrow, Palmont University, then we go after Wolf." Josh said with a grin. "Yes sir!" Sal replied excitedly. "Alright, see you 'round, Josh." "Adios, Sal." Josh hung up the phone as he arrived home. Pressing the button on the garage remote to close the door, Josh shut off the Shelby. Making sure the windows were sealed properly, Josh grabbed the bag with his winnings and stored it in the spare room. Hanging his jacket, Josh crashed on his bed. Stretching and yawning, Josh laid down on his side. "Tomorrow, I'll store the money in my account, then go shopping for better stuff…" Josh made a mental note before falling asleep to the sound of rain hitting the window.

**Wow, way to go Joshua, just Palmont University left!**

**So I know the chapter had song lyrics, and as a disclaimer, I don't own the song or anything used in it. If anyone was curious as to where the song is from, I've been hearing the soundtrack from Furious 7 (because I'm a bit of a car nerd) and that's one of the better songs on the album. Alright, till next time, please rate and review, PEACE!**

**(P.S. I don't know when I'll put out the next chapter, and I'm sorry for that, but school doesn't give me a break.)**


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